"Punk rock" in the university lecture hall

Never before has author Nils Mohl read from his new novel "Die Insel der Schlasocks" to so many children. For the majority of the children, the start of the "A city reads a book" campaign in the Friedrich-Schadeberg lecture hall at the University of Siegen is also a first: being read from his book by the author in person, being able to talk to him and even get his autograph afterwards - that is something very special for them too. So it's no wonder that Nils Mohl is greeted with loud cheers and thunderous applause by around 400 schoolchildren from all over the city.

"Reading in front of so many children is always a bit like punk rock," comments the multi-award-winning author and screenwriter. "The Island of Schlasocks" is his first children's book and was only published last July. This year, it is the focus of the joint campaign "A city reads a book" organized by the City of Siegen, the Fischbacherberg youth club and the University of Siegen.

During the one-hour opening reading, Mohl proves that he knows how to inspire his young audience: In a varied and interactive presentation, he takes the pupils* to the "Island of the Schlasocks"...together with his protagonist Jasper, who flies over the sea in a drone and eventually lands on the mysterious island. There he meets the Schlasocks and other curious monsters, all of whom are rather tired and listless and, above all, have never seen a child in their lives.

How Jasper and the monsters nevertheless become friends and stick together when the island is in great danger is revealed to the pupils in the university lecture hall in a mix of read passages, short films and the wonderful illustrations by Michael Roher. Again and again, the children themselves are asked: Which of them has ever experienced a real adventure? Which chapter should be read out next? In between, Mohl gives exciting insights into the genesis of his novel: from well-known monster stories that inspired him (The Grinch, Grüffelo, Monster AG) to a look into his own garage, which has been converted into a writing workshop, and a caravan on the island of Amrum - the places where he wrote "Die Insel der Schlasocks".

Just like Mohl's reading, the 300-page book itself is simply fun, says children's book expert Dr. Jana Mikota from the University of Siegen, who prepared the content for this year's Stadtlese campaign: "Reading is really tedious and difficult, especially at the beginning. But books like 'The Island of Schlasocks' show that it's worth it." She and her team were particularly impressed by the mixture of fantastic entertainment and high literary quality. "When selecting the books, we also make sure that there are different perspectives and that different interpretations are possible. This provides plenty of opportunities for discussion about the book in question," explains Mikota.

"The fact that an entire city is engaging with my book, that everyone is reading it, reading from it and then talking about it on a common basis is really a great honor," says Hamburg-born Nils Mohl happily. There will be many more readings from "The Island of Schlasocks" in Siegen in the first week of November: Not quite as big as the opening event in the university lecture hall - but in exciting locations such as the vault of the Sparkasse bank, the historic council chamber in Siegen town hall or the Siegerland Museum. Readings will be given by Siegen personalities such as Sparkasse CEO Dr. Nadine Uebe-Emden, District Court President Jost-Michael Kausträter and poet Olaf Neopan Schwanke.

"Reading is fun and there are incredibly exciting and funny books. We want to show this with the 'A city reads a book' campaign," explains Andree Schmidt, Head of Social Affairs and Schools for the city of Siegen. At the same time, he emphasizes the social dimension of the project: every child receives their own copy of the book and can keep it once the campaign is over. This is made possible by the financial support of Sparkasse Siegen, the Bürgerstiftung and the Schülerstiftung Koch. The project is a real "heartfelt concern" for all sponsors, emphasizes Dr. Gisela Labenz from the Bürgerstiftung: "Some children have never owned their own book before. It's great that we can open up this world to them."